Aquatic Center / Studio Shift

California-based Studio Shift completed their concept phase of a new Aquatic Center in the Sichuan Province of China. Expected to be completed in the spring of 2013, the center will connect adjacent public infrastructures, such as a riverfront promenade, as a circulation system which will become “the connective tissue linking the disparate program elements and site edges, ultimately, delineating the overall programmatic organization of the structure.”

More images and more about the Center after the break.

The dominant feature, a large swimming lagoon, is carved into the site between the riverbed and the Aquatic Center. A sandy beach surrounds the lagoon and defines two discrete areas of varying privacy. The lagoon filters the abundant Miyi rainwater and the adjacent Anning River as primary sources of water. Bio-remediation technology will be implemented to filter and purify the water through a system of bio-films and low-energy consumption pumps that contain hungry micro-organisms that feed on pollutants in the water.

A landscape roof above the parking garage serves as a means for rainwater collection and reduction of the local heat island effect. In addition to the greened roof, the bronze metal roof is specifically designed to capture and distribute rainwater with the intention of complementing the overall master plan agenda of resource conservation while improving existing river conditions.

Two major exterior public spaces, programmed with casual water activities and retail areas along the eastern edge, allow the public to engage the project in a more passive capacity. “These public spaces assume a dimension appropriate to large-scale aggregation in order to facilitate a broad range of high-intensity activities as well as casual gathering.”

The complex features a spa level which descends partially into the site, creating a relationship with the swimming lagoon, and a complete series of exterior pools surrounded by a raised sun deck and pool level cabanas, changing facilities and an open-air café and restaurant. Along the southern edge of the site, a residential tower featuring over 80 rental units and 6 special suites are sited directly into the water, creating a unique connection to the lagoon. “The residential tower responds to the adjacent, planned context in usage and scale while simultaneously creating a semi-private condition for the southern edge of the swimming lagoon.”